Summary Background There are few studies that directly compare the variation in incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) according to ethnicity. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the rates of VTE, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) among different ethnic groups. Method The cases diagnosed with VTE, DVT and PE for a period between March 2004 and June 2009 were identified through the hospital‐based database system. The 2006 New Zealand Census data were used to calculate the rate of diagnosis. Results The observed annual incidence of VTE during this period was 81.6 per 100 000 population. The relative risks of VTE when comparing European subjects with Maori, Pacific Island and Asian subjects after age standardization were 1.98 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63–2.41), 3.22 (95% CI, 2.60–3.99) and 4.02 (95% CI, 3.34–4.84), respectively. Relative risks of DVT after age standardization when comparing European subjects with Maori, Pacific Island and Asian subjects, were 2.14 (95% CI, 1.72–2.66), 3.20 (95% CI, 2.46–4.17) and 4.75 (95% CI, 3.80–5.94), respectively. Indirect age standardization was used for comparison of the diagnosis of PE. The ratio between the calculated expected number of cases and the actual number of cases was 1.32 (95% CI, 0.89–1.75) for Maori subjects, 2.96 (95% CI, 1.89–4.03) for Pacific Islanders and 3.89 (95% CI, 3.00–4.78) for Asians. Conclusion Europeans have a significantly higher incidence of VTE compared with Maori, Pacific Island and Asian populations.

In memory of Rainer RudolphBreast cancer is still one of the most frequently occurring tumors in women. Severe and often therapy-limiting side effects are a major obstacle in chemotherapy. New delivery concepts that reduce systemic side effects are needed to optimize anticancer therapies, and selective targeting concepts are required for early and selective tumor diagnosis. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a member of the pancreatic polypeptide family, is a C-terminal amidated peptide hormone consisting of 36 amino acid residues.[1, 2] NPY-mediated functions are transmitted by so-called Y receptors, named Y 1 , Y 2 , and Y 5 receptors, which bind NPY with nanomolar affinity. All Y receptors are members of the class A of heptahelix receptors, that signal through heterotrimeric G proteins. [3,4] Reubi et al. have recently described Y-receptor expression in human breast cancer. They have shown that over 90 % of all breast tumors and 100 % of the examined metastases express Y 1 receptors.[5] Interestingly, a shift of the receptor subtype from Y 2 receptors in healthy tissue to Y 1 receptors during neoplasm was found, which is potentially related to reduced differentiation. Based on NPY and the known structure-activity relationships for Y 1 -receptor binding, [6] we designed, synthesized, and characterized two analogues for tumor labeling that vary in the position of the chelator to conjugate 99m Tc. Peptides 1 a and 2 a were synthesized with a N a -histidinyl acetyl (N a His-ac) chelator [7] at the N terminus, whereas peptides 1 b and 2 b were modified at the N e side chain of Lys 4 . The tridentate ligand N a His-ac is able to form stable and biologically active complexes. [8,9] Modification of the resin-bound peptide was performed by an efficient strategy (Scheme 1). In the first step, bromoacetic acid was activated by diisopropylcarbodiimide to form the corresponding anhydride. His(Trt)-OtBu was then added and the NHÀ CH bond was formed by HBr elimination. Cleavage of the peptide yielded His-acetyl peptides either at the N terminus or at the N e side chain of Lys 4 . Rhenium was used as a cold surrogate for 99m Tc and introduced for in vitro studies

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common human bacterial infections. While UTIs are commonly associated with colonization by Escherichia coli , members of this species also have been found within the bladder of individuals with no lower urinary tract symptoms (no LUTS), also known as asymptomatic bacteriuria. Prior studies have found that both uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strains and E. coli isolates that are not associated with UTIs encode for virulence factors. Thus, the reason(s) why E. coli sometimes causes UTI-like symptoms remain(s) elusive. In this study, the genomes of 66 E. coli isolates from adult female bladders were sequenced. These isolates were collected from four cohorts, including women: (1) without lower urinary tract symptoms, (2) overactive bladder symptoms, (3) urgency urinary incontinence, and (4) a clinical diagnosis of UTI. Comparative genomic analyses were conducted, including core and accessory genome analyses, virulence and motility gene analyses, and antibiotic resistance prediction and testing. We found that the genomic content of these 66 E. coli isolates does not correspond with the participant’s symptom status. We thus looked beyond the E. coli genomes to the composition of the entire urobiome and found that the presence of E. coli alone was not sufficient to distinguish between the urobiomes of individuals with UTI and those with no LUTS. Because E. coli presence, abundance, and genomic content appear to be weak predictors of UTI status, we hypothesize that UTI symptoms associated with detection of E. coli are more likely the result of urobiome composition.

Background: North American and European literature suggest that the incidence rate

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In memoriam Rainer RudolphBrustkrebs ist bei Frauen nach wie vor die häufigste Krebserkrankung

The resistance to many common antibiotics has dramatically increased disease-causing infections, especially those caused by pathogens. The creation of effective antimicrobial agents in the fight against infection has a new avenue of exploration thanks to nanotechnology. The combined effects of metal-based nanoparticles (NPs) are known to have intense antibacterial activities. However, a comprehensive analysis of some NPs regarding these activities is still unavailable. This study uses the aqueous chemical growth method to synthesize Co3O4, CuO, NiO and ZnO NPs. The prepared materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The antibacterial activities of NPs were tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using the microdilution method, such as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. The best MIC value among all the metal oxide NPs was 0.63 against Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC12228 through ZnO NPs. The other metal oxide NPs also showed satisfactory MIC values against different test bacteria. In addition, the biofilm inhibition and antiquorum sensing activities of NPs were also examined. The present study presents a novel approach for the relative analysis of metal-based NPs in antimicrobial studies, demonstrating their potential for bacteria removal from water and wastewater.

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